1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for conducting a competition. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for conducting a tournament which is more interesting, equitable and competitive.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known to conduct competitions in a wide variety of activities. For example, it is common to conduct tournaments in athletic events such as tennis, basketball, soccer, wrestling, baseball, fencing, hockey, etc., and in such non-athletic events as beauty contests, quiz shows, spelling bees, etc. In many instances, tournament competitions are conducted at the conclusion of a full schedule of competitions. For example, the NCAA is well known for its post-season basketball tournament in which 64 teams are selected from all Division I basketball teams to compete for the national championship. Similarly, in professional basketball and hockey, teams qualify for post-season competition based upon their regular season performance.
In such prior art tournaments, it is common for competitors to be seeded based upon their prior performances. Thus, the competitor with the best record or best positional finish, e.g., first place, would be seeded first whereas the tournament-qualifying competitor with the worst record or positional finish would be seeded last. The seeding of tournament competitors determines the matched opponents in the first round of the tournament, and quite often for all succeeding rounds. Generally, in the first round of the tournament, the first seed is matched against the last seed, the second seed against the second-to-last seed, and so on, thereby giving the top seeded competitors a decided advantage.
In such prior art tournaments, early tournament rounds are generally non-competitive in that the competitors matched for play are of widely diverse ability. As a result, quite often there is little spectator interest in early tournament rounds. This low level of spectator interest translates to reduced attendance and therefore lower gate revenue. Moreover, television ratings are generally lower for early tournament rounds which typically translate to lower revenues to tournament organizers for broadcast rights.
Other prior art tournaments are conducted without seeding of competitors. In unseeded tournaments, there is a risk that the two best competitors will meet in the first round. The loser of this first round match is then generally excluded from further tournament participation, thereby depriving the tournament of one of its most competitive participants. The loss of a top competitor early in a tournament can also have a negative impact on spectator interest and tournament revenue at later stages of the tournament Moreover, the loss of a top competitor in the first round of an unseeded tournament, e.g., by losing to another top performer, prevents this losing competitor from pursuing a top finish in the tournament, e.g., as a silver or bronze medalist This result can be extremely unfair to tournament participants.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for conducting a tournament which is more interesting and competitive at all tournament levels It is a further object to provide a tournament method that is equitable to tournament competitors, and that is more likely to match the most-skilled competitors in the final tournament stage or stages, regardless of first round match-ups.